The more you know

It is never truly too cold to snow because moisture, not temperature, is the key factor. Snow can fall at any temperature above absolute zero. While heavy snow is more common at 15 degrees or warmer, it can still occur in colder places like Yakutsk, Russia. Colder air holds less moisture, so snow tends to be lighter and fluffier with a higher snow ratio, meaning more inches of snow from less water.

Birds are full of surprises! Crows hold "funerals" to assess danger, hummingbirds can fly backwards, and some birds rub ants on themselves (anting) to stay clean. Owls swallow prey whole and regurgitate pellets, while shrikes impale prey with sharp objects for later. Woodpeckers can peck 16 times per second, and pigeons recognize human faces. Blue jays collect paint chips for calcium, some birds sleep while flying, and turkey vultures defend themselves by vomiting!

Early European settlers mistakenly called bison "buffalo," a name that has stuck to this day. Although both belong to the Bovidae family, bison differ from buffalo in size, horn shape, and geographic location. Indigenous groups like the Lakota depended on bison for survival. Westward expansion nearly wiped-out bison, reducing their numbers from millions to fewer than 1,000 by the 1890s. Today, around 500,000 exist, with Yellowstone hosting the only continuously wild herd.

Whiskers are special hairs packed with nerves that help mammals sense the world. Found on most mammals (except humans, platypuses, and echidnas), whiskers detect air currents, aid hunting, protect eyes, and help animals gauge space. Some, like walruses, have hundreds! Whiskers can even show emotion. Never cut or pull them—they’re super sensitive.

In colder months, freshwater turtles enter brumation - a deep, inactive state - nestled into mud at the bottom of ponds, lakes or rivers. Land turtles brumate underground instead. Their cold-bloodedness slows down their metabolism and bodily functions, allowing them to survive without food or oxygen. Their shells can absorb and neutralize lactic acid. Unlike air, water remains above freezing temperatures, keeping turtles safe. In spring, rising water temps and sunlight signal

As leaves fall, look for messy clumps in trees - these are squirrel nests, or dreys. Built from twigs, leaves, and moss, dreys are sturdy, often waterproof homes about 30 feet up. Inside, they’re lined with dry grasses, leaves and bark, however, paper and plastic litter can also be found. Squirrels make several dreys at a time and abandon it after one to two years of use. Some use tree cavities in the winter.

A pair of light and dark tree rings equals one year of growth. Wider rings suggest good climate conditions that year and thin rings suggest otherwise. Fire scars, broken branches, and leaning can also be seen in the patterns. The dark center (heartwood) is old and strong, and the outer rings are the youngest. To estimate a living tree’s age, measure its trunk 5 feet up - each inch of circumference equals about one year. By reading tree rings, we learn both the tree’s past and

Feathers are made of keratin and get damaged from flying, normal wear and tear, parasites and sun exposure. Since feathers cannot heal themselves, birds molt, shedding its feathers to make way for a new, healthy set. Birds can undergo complete molts - replacing all feathers at once - or partial molts - replacing some feathers with time). Molting requires a lot of energy and can affect the flying ability of some birds. birds can molt once to twice a year either completely, par